The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING BRUCE WARNER'S PUBLIC SERVICE
______
HON. EARL BLUMENAUER
of oregon
in the house of representatives
Thursday, July 1, 2021
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize a distinguished citizen of my state of Oregon. Bruce Warner has spent his life in public service in a significant variety of roles.
Today, Bruce steps down after ten years as Board President of the TriMet Board of Directors, which is my region's major transit district. During that time, he oversaw successful labor negotiations, a commitment to transition to zero-emission buses, the construction of a new light rail line, and the hiring of executives, managers, and employees that reflect the greatest number of people of color in a public agency in Oregon.
His devotion to serving his community is truly exceptional.
He was born in Fork, Washington and raised in Port Angeles. He graduated from the University of Washington in civil engineering, and while he is a Husky fanatic, we have never held that against him. He is an Oregonian not by birth but by heart.
He began his career as a young civil engineer designing parks and culverts before quickly moving to Portland where he worked for the Army Corp of Engineers. Living far from work in distant South East Portland, Bruce rode a bus to work. He says that experience began shaping his thinking on transportation, equity, land use, and social responsibility. How transportation is provided as a service became part of his life-long critical examination.
He started as a City Engineer for Hillsboro Oregon and then was elevated to the director of Washington County's Land Use and Transportation. Again, ideas of equity, fairness, land use, and transportation continued to churn in his mind.
It came as a shock to many when, as the new director of the Oregon Department of Transportation Region One, he moved headquarters from a suburb to a regional center in downtown Portland. And, he limited employee parking and encouraged the use of transit instead. Transit over traffic. Pretty revolutionary for a leader who oversees freeways and highways to make a land use decision based on transit opportunities and equity for employees and the public.
He took a brief sojourn from ODOT to lead the solid waste efforts at our regional government and because of his tremendous talents, quickly became Metro's Chief Operating Officer.
He was then tapped by the governor and state legislature to lead the Oregon Department of Transportation. His service was remembered as a healing time for the agency with the legislature and closing the urban/
rural divide.
He planned on retiring from ODOT, but was recruited to become the director of the Portland Development Commission where he supported small business development programs for communities of color; light rail construction in downtown; and one of his proudest achievements, the creation of affordable housing.
He tried to retire once again, but duty called. He was asked to be the temporary Hillsboro City Manager.
Oregon's governor most recently tapped Bruce to chair the TriMet Board of Directors. Under Bruce's leadership, TriMet built the Orange Line with the stunning Tilikum Crossing and using a historic number of minority certified contractors. Also, under construction currently is the Division Transit Project employing the largest minority contract award in Oregon's history.
During his free time, Bruce serves on boards of the Volunteers of America and Helping Hands, helping people in recovery.
A calming influence, famous for bringing people together, and settling problems, this leader is still trying to retire. It won't surprise me if he is tapped again. But until that time, I thank Bruce Warner.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 115
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